U.S. embassy staff, families ordered to leave Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, the State Department said on Wednesday, as the kingdom comes under sustained deadly attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.

“Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a social media post explaining the measure.

“The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority,” he added.

A diplomatic source in the Middle East told Agence France-Presse that some families of US embassy personnel were also being withdrawn in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain, but Pigott stressed that Wednesday’s order was for the departure of non-emergency embassy staff and their families in Saudi Arabia only.

Saudi Arabia has this month come under near-daily attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport that was the kingdom’s deadliest in years, as the war with the group escalates.